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W I N T E R 2 0 2 6 E D I T I O NTHE HABITAT REVIEW
2SHAWN NICOLRESTORE MANAGERCONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHTS2BUILD UPDATEIIt’s been a season of incredible progress at Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County! Both sides of our St. Charles twin home have officially sold, and we couldn’t be more excited for the families who will make these houses their homes. Our East 9th Street home in Winona is 95% complete, bringing us one step closer to welcoming another homeowner. Meanwhile, work is moving full speed ahead on our Mark Street twin home, creating even more opportunities for local families to put down roots and build their futures right here in Winona County. Beyond new homes, our Home Repair Program continues to help neighbors remain safe, comfortable, and independent in the homes they love. Since July, we’ve completed a dozen accessibility projects, with more on our list before the snow flies! From ramps to other critical improvements, these projects remind us that a vibrant community isn’t just about building for the future. It’s about caring for the neighbors who are already here. Every volunteer hour, every gift, and every helping hand brings us closer to a community where everyone has a safe place to call home. Thank you for being part of this work and helping us build stronger neighborhoods, brighter futures, and a community we can all be proud of. There’s so much more to build together!
As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on what makes a community truly thrive. It’s the neighbors who show up for one another, the people who believe everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and the collective willingness to turn that belief into action. At Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County, I see that spirit every day, and I am deeply grateful to be part of it. This year, we’ve celebrated countless housing milestones, and each represents more than a home or a repair. It represents a family putting down roots, a neighbor retaining their independence, and a community growing stronger. But I also want to be honest about the road ahead. The need for safe, affordable, and accessible housing in Winona County continues to grow, and the cost of meeting that need is greater than ever. Housing is not simply a roof over our heads. It is the foundation for a thriving workforce, a resilient local economy, healthy families, and vibrant neighborhoods. When people can afford to live in the communities where they work and raise their families, we all benefit. Meeting this need requires more than Habitat can accomplish alone. It takes champions: people willing to make a financial gift, lend their hands and talents, connect us with new partners, advocate for thoughtful housing solutions, or help others understand why this work matters. Every contribution, in every form, helps move us forward. As you consider your year-end giving, I ask you to make a gift to Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County. A gift of $25, $100, $500, or whatever is meaningful to you helps turn the promise of safe housing into a reality for local families. If you are able, please make your year-end contribution today and help us enter the new year ready to meet the growing need. I know that asking for support is not always easy, especially when the need feels bigger than the resources available. But I believe deeply in what we can accomplish when we recognize that the future of our community belongs to all of us.With gratitude, Brittany Hennessy Executive Director3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORTCHECK OUT OUR 2026 ANNUAL REPORT HERE
4 RESTORE WRAP-UP Once again, summer has disappeared all too quickly, Fall is on its way out, and it's suddenly the end of the year! Autumn is always a sneakily busy time at the ReStore, as our donors are finally bumping up against a deadline to wrap up their seasonal cleaning and, in some procrastinating cases, finally get around to their Spring cleaning. All this means that the store is about as full as it can get with great deals of all kinds! A huge thank you to all of our donors and our volunteers and your continued generosity, whether it be giving your donations or your time, is truly the driver of the ReStore and our mission. If you've spent any time in the ReStore, you know that our inventory is constantly changing. The ReStore you step into today may not much resemble the ReStore you step into a month from now, which helps fuel that hunt for the perfect deal. But we do have some excellent constants in this season that I would love to highlight: Brand new, affordable, quality LVP flooring New, vacuum-sealed mattresses in Queen, King, and Cali King sizes (more styles hopefully coming soon!) Paint and painting supplies New LED light bulbs in assorted styles Winter is the perfect time for a large project such as an interior remodel, or something as small as making a room a little cozier with a decorative refresh. You can start or finish a job of any size with a purchase or donation here at the ReStore, and in doing so, you're helping support our work here in Winona County!Ben Steinquist ReStore ManagerREQUEST A DONATION PICKUP HERE
A CALL FOR SUPPORT We know that safe, affordable housing matters to our community. It matters to the families searching for a place to call home, the older adults hoping to remain safely in the homes they love, the workers who want to live where they work, and the children who deserve a stable foundation from which to grow. At Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County, we see these needs every day. We also see what is possible when neighbors come together to meet them. But turning that shared belief into action takes more than commitment. It takes resources, partnership, and community investment. As the cost of construction continues to rise, charitable giving faces new challenges, and funding opportunities become increasingly difficult to secure, we are being forced to make difficult decisions about how many homes we can build, how many critical repairs we can complete, and how quickly we can respond to our neighbors who need us. These realities affect not only the pace of our work, but also our ability to serve our community. We believe our community deserves more than a waiting list. It deserves a collective commitment to action. We are not sharing these challenges to dwell on what is difficult. We are sharing them because we believe in what is possible when people choose to invest in their neighbors. Every financial gift helps move us closer to a community where everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. Housing is more than a roof over someone's head. It supports our local workforce, strengthens our economy, creates stability for children and families, and helps our communities remain vibrant for generations to come. When we invest in housing, we invest in the people, opportunities, and connections that make Winona County a wonderful place to live. We cannot do this work alone, and we shouldn't have to. Building vibrant communities is a shared responsibility, and each of us has a role to play in shaping their future. Will you help us turn our community's commitment to housing into meaningful action? Together, we build possibility.5TO DONATE 5
6 UPCOMING EVENTSCARPENTERS’ BALL 2026HOUSE-RAISING HOOTENANNY 2026 Step into a velvet-lit jazz club and celebrate the season of love with an unforgettable night of live music, dancing, and small bites. Sip, sway, and savor the rhythm of giving, because every note helps build homes and hope in our community.FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19THFOR TICKETSTHURSDAY, JUNE 10TH Dust off your boots and join us for Habitat for Humanity Serving Winona County’s biggest night of the year, the House-Raising Hootenanny! We’re gathering under the summer sky for a good old-fashioned evening of live music, BBQ, games, and community spirit. Every ticket helps raise the walls for local families building a better future through affordable housing.GIVE TO THE MAX DAYTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 On Give to the Max Day, November 19, you can be part of a statewide movement to spread generosity to your local nonprofit organizations.
7VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Beth Stanford settled into Winona in 2021 with her husband Tom and two dogs, Jasper and Olive. In spring 2025, she saw a notice asking for help tending the community garden outside the ReStore. She jumped at the opportunity because she loved gardening, drawing on her experience working in horticulture with the City of Iowa City Parks and serving as a master gardener in Fillmore County. Beth met with Kristine and understood that coming every Thursday morning, mainly to pull weeds, would be the best way to keep the beds clear.BETH Sandy Villard, a long-time Habitat supporter, worked in the strawberry and vegetable beds and joined in to help care for the flowers. Sandy has helped paint year-round and told Beth they needed painters on Wednesdays; however, Beth volunteers at the WSU Arboretum on Wednesdays, so that didn’t work out. When the weather changed, Beth moved indoors and volunteered as a cashier at the ReStore. The winter holidays slowed business in ReStore, so Beth moved to painting the interior of Habitat homes in St. Charles over the winter into 2026. After college, Beth painted houses for a summer to pay the rent and; she built two rural primary schools in Gabon, Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1980s. She respects the Habitat mission and enjoys helping. And clearly, there are many ways to help. She’s in her second year as a regular volunteer with Habitat working in the garden, in the ReStore, and this winter, she will most likely be painting again. Sandy has become a good friend, and the staff genuinely cares about Habitat. The overall experience has cemented Beth’s fondness for the generous Winona community.
LET'S GET IN TOUCH 126 N. Baker St., Winona, MN 55987 507.457.0003 info@habitatwinona.org habitatwinona.org126 N. Baker Street Winona, MN 55987